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I am so frustrated with the cheap plugs we have. Will you please recommend some good hearing protection?

I want it to be good quality for the price, comfortable, and effective.

Recommendations in any price range that meets the above (and a comment about it being budget-minded or top-of-the-line, etc) would be appreciated.

I am sold on the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronics. They are the most comfortable muffs I've ever worn. Unlike most muffs, they have a flat spot on top of the headband that keeps them from feeling like you are wearing a vice on your head. I shot the IDAP match at The Arms Room last Monday and had them on constantly for 3 hrs. and they were beginning to be uncomfortable. All of the other muffs I've had would have been torture by that time.

I found some on Amazon.com for just under $50. I paid about $60 at Academy.

Chas.

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-0 ... B001T7QJ9O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

+1 on Charles' recommendation. That's what I was wearing last Saturday, Hoi. If you want to, you can hook them up & listen to your MP3 player while you shoot.

The ones I loaned you were my older Peltor muffs, which is a good brand also. I wish the batteries hadn't been dead, so you could've seen what it's like to be able to hear & still be protected. It's a strange experience at first.

Walmart has Winchester muffs for about $15. They work fine for me, but I haven't used them for a three hour match at IDPA. (That's coming up later this month according to my buddy.)

Charles L. Cotton wrote:I am sold on the Howard Leight Impact Sport electronics. They are the most comfortable muffs I've ever worn. Unlike most muffs, they have a flat spot on top of the headband that keeps them from feeling like you are wearing a vice on your head. I shot the IDAP match at The Arms Room last Monday and had them on constantly for 3 hrs. and they were beginning to be uncomfortable. All of the other muffs I've had would have been torture by that time.

I found some on Amazon.com for just under $50. I paid about $60 at Academy.

Chas.

http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-R-0 ... B001T7QJ9O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

+++++

Have a pair in my shopping cart now (they were in my wish list before Charles posted this )

Oh, use foam inserts too whenever you can. Your ears will thank you years from now

The Howard Leight's are great hearing protection, as well as the Peltor's. I have a set of Peltor Tactical Sports that I really like. They switch the sound on and off so fast you don't even notice they dropped out. The only down side is if your hearing is pretty sensitive, you may want to supplement them with a set of plugs inside. I don't need them, but have a buddy who does.

Pawpaw wrote: If you want to, you can hook them up & listen to your MP3 player while you shoot.

You mean I can listen to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns and Roses while I shoot!?

USA1 wrote:

Pawpaw wrote: If you want to, you can hook them up & listen to your MP3 player while you shoot.

You mean I can listen to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns and Roses while I shoot!?

Oooooooohhhhh, good one, USA1. I could have some mad skills if I was jamming to some tunes while putting some rounds down range.

T.

I'm not familiar with the Howard Leight products, but if they only cost what Charles said, then that is a pretty darn good deal for electronically controlled ear protection.

My wife, son, and I each own a pair of Peltor Tactical Pro Headsets. At $160/pair, they are not cheap, but they are very, very good. Like Hoi, I was fed up with other solutions, and I've noticed more hearing problems like increased ringing in my ears in the last couple of years, and I was willing to spend a larger amount of money to preserve the hearing I have left. As a musician, it would be devastating to become deaf, so it is well worth it to me to spend the money. Your mileage may vary.

The right fit makes a lot of difference. I have to fiddle with mine for a while to get the seal just right. It kind of feels "airtight".

Another recommendation for the Howard Light muffs Charles mentioned. Best I've used. Also if you don't want/need the electronic functionality, Academy sells basic passive (non-electronic) H Light low profile muffs for about $20. Equally comfortable, maybe even more so.

Also have a pair of passive Peltor muffs. They work well too, just not quite as comfortable for me - YMMV.

I agree with Mr Cotton.
I wore mine today, as my father wore his also, when we were at the range. Shooting .22 pistols, 9mm S&W M&P, and 9mm witness and Howa .308 rifle.

I also have a pair for my 12 year old son.

There also have auto shut-off after 4 hours, plus line in plug for mp3 player.

Howard Leights are the way to go!!!!

I've used Hearos Xtreme Protection Series foamies for years (motorcycles, machine shops, music etc); they're the best foamies on the market. http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/he ... 14-14.html You can get a single pack as well; I've been ordering from this place for several years and have had no problems. They're a bit east of Tulsa, so shipping is fairly quick too.


For shooting, I wear a pair of Pro Ears Ultra 33 muffs on top of the Hearos foamies. Everything is nice and quiet. http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/pr ... ra-33.html

These foamies and muffs are the highest rated stuff I've been able to find at 33 db.

Does your eyewear interfere with the muffs at all?

Thanks for pointing that out, BNC. They had a nice video on how to properly wear foamies that I think everybody should see:

http://www.earplugstore.com/videos/how_ ... rplugs.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sordin MSA if you got the $$$$